Cricket fans in the UAE will get yet another opportunity to enjoy top-quality cricket when the Asia Cup T20 tournament begins in Dubai at the end of this month.
The tournament was supposed to be held in Sri Lanka but the political situation in the country and the logistical challenges of hosting many teams across venues posed an insurmountable challenge, forcing organisers to move the event at short-notice to the UAE.
Given that the Emirates has successfully held many editions of the Indian Premier League and also the T20 World Cup last year, it was the logical choice for a tournament of this scale.
The 2018 Asia Cup was also held in the UAE, where India beat Bangladesh off the last ball of the tournament to lift the 50-over title. However this year the Asia Cup will be a 20-over affair as teams prepare for the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year.
The Asia Cup will kick off with Sri Lanka taking on Afghanistan on August 27. The final will be held in Dubai on September 11.
Hosts UAE, Kuwait, Singapore and Hong Kong played a qualifying round with the winners of that - Hong Kong - joining India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bangladesh in the main draw.
As expected, the biggest match of the tournament will be the clash between India and Pakistan. It is the first time the two teams will face each other since their unforgettable clash in Dubai at the T20 World Cup last year where the men in green tasted their first win over India in a World Cup.
In the main tournament, six teams are divided into two groups. India, Pakistan and qualifiers Hong Kong are in Group A, while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan are in Group B.
The top two teams in each group will qualify for the Super 4 round, where the sides will play against each other again before the top two sides qualify for the final.
Asia Cup 2022 schedule (all matches 6pm UAE time)
Group A
August 28: India v Pakistan, Dubai
August 31: India v Hong Kong, Dubai
September 2: Pakistan v Hong Kong, Sharjah
Group B
August 27: Sri Lanka v Afghanistan, Dubai
August 30: Bangladesh v Afghanistan, Sharjah
September 1: Sri Lanka v Bangladesh, Dubai
Super 4
September 3: B1 v B2, Sharjah
September 4: A1 v A2, Dubai
September 6: A1 v B1, Dubai
September 7: A2 v B2, Dubai
September 8: A1 v B2, Dubai
September 9: B1 v A2, Dubai
September 11: Final, Dubai
Tickets
Tickets for Asia Cup 2022 can be purchased on Platinumlist.net. Ticket sales began on Monday and prices start at Dh75. Fans can purchase tickets only through the website and will need to wait in an online queue.
Squads
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wkt), Dinesh Karthik (wkt), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan
Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Sha, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Hasan Ali, Shahnawaz Dahani and Usman Qadir
Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Anamul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Mahmud Ullah, Mahedi Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Hasan Mahmud, Mustafizur Rahman, Nasum Ahmed, Sabbir Rahman, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Ebadot Hossain, Parvez Hossain Emon, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Taskin Ahmed.
Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (captain), Danushka Gunathilaka, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Ashen Bandara, Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Praveen Jayawickrama, Chamika Karunaratne, Dilshan Madushanka, Matheesha Pathirana, Nuwanidu Fernando, Nuwan Thusara, Dinesh Chandimal
Afghanistan: Mohammad Nabi (captain), Najibullah Zadran, Afsar Zazai, Azmatullah Omarzai, Farid Ahmad Malik, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Karim Janat, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Najibullah Zadran, Naveen ul Haq, Noor Ahmad, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rashid Khan, Samiullah Shinwari. Standby: Nijat Masood, Qais Ahmed, Sharafuddin Ashraf
Hong Kong: Nizakat Khan (captain), Kinchit Shah, Zeeshan Ali, Haroon Arshad, Babar Hayat, Aftab Hussain, Ateeq Iqbal, Aizaz Khan, Ehsan Khan, Scott McKechnie (wk), Ghazanfar Mohammad, Yasim Murtaza, Dhananjay Rao, Wajid Shah, Ayush Shukla, Ahan Trivedi, Mohammad Waheed
Ibrahim's play list
Completed an electrical diploma at the Adnoc Technical Institute
Works as a public relations officer with Adnoc
Apart from the piano, he plays the accordion, oud and guitar
His favourite composer is Johann Sebastian Bach
Also enjoys listening to Mozart
Likes all genres of music including Arabic music and jazz
Enjoys rock groups Scorpions and Metallica
Other musicians he likes are Syrian-American pianist Malek Jandali and Lebanese oud player Rabih Abou Khalil
Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
It
Director: Andres Muschietti
Starring: Bill Skarsgard, Jaeden Lieberher, Sophia Lillis, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor
Three stars
Dunki
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If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
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Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
Voy!%20Voy!%20Voy!
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If you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Chicago from Dh5,215 return including taxes.
The hotels
Recommended hotels include the Intercontinental Chicago Magnificent Mile, located in an iconic skyscraper complete with a 1929 Olympic-size swimming pool from US$299 (Dh1,100) per night including taxes, and the Omni Chicago Hotel, an excellent value downtown address with elegant art deco furnishings and an excellent in-house restaurant. Rooms from US$239 (Dh877) per night including taxes.
Profile of Tamatem
Date started: March 2013
Founder: Hussam Hammo
Based: Amman, Jordan
Employees: 55
Funding: $6m
Funders: Wamda Capital, Modern Electronics (part of Al Falaisah Group) and North Base Media
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart